1:2
Having set out who the letter is from, we now come to whom the letter is written. It is to God’s people in Colossae, who are “holy people” and “faithful brothers in Christ”. Holy does not mean “prim and proper”! It means those set aside for God, set aside for a special purpose. We will be different from the world, we will not go down the same path that the world is going down. If we do that then we can be pretty certain that we are on the wrong path! Faithful could be taken as either those who have faith in Christ, or those who are trustworthy. It does not make a great deal of difference. For if we have faith in Christ we will be seeking to live a Christlike life, with all that that entails. If we are trustworthy we will be trustworthy in believing and following Christ. As in all of Paul’s letters, the greeting is followed by “grace and peace”, and this from God our Father. “Grace and peace” is not a vague well-wishing, but a blessing from God Himself.
1:3
Even though Paul probably did not know them personally, he still cared for the church and prayed for it, and the first few verses outline the nature of his prayers for them. As well as being a genuine expression of his concern and prayers for the Colossians, he is also highlighting the qualities that they have that are genuinely commendable, and these will stand out against the qualities the world values. There are two unique aspects of the prayer when compared to the general religious ideas of the time. The first is that God is our Father. Neither other religions of our day, nor of Paul’s day, see God as Father. God is a generally a much more remote concept, in the Bible the relationship of God to His people is a central concept. Secondly, is the divinity of Christ. God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord are placed on an equal footing.
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